Friday, June 27, 2014

Now that it has finally warmed up outside, the chance to get
out there and get active is here. Whether you are playing sports, running
around with your kids, or enjoying a nice, relaxing day sitting in the sun, it
is important to keep your health in mind. Preventing injuries it is not hard to
do if you know some of the simple steps it takes to make sure your body is
prepared for the activities ahead. Everyone knows how beneficial proper
stretching, warm ups and cool downs are however, there is another thing you can
do to help keep yourself injury free this summer. Getting frequent massages (at
least thirty minutes once a week) can not only improve your overall health but
it can also be an easy and fun way to help keep you from getting injured while
you are out and about this summer.

Massage in relation to exercise and athletic participation
can

Promote relaxation

Reduce muscle tension

Improve soft tissue function

Increase range of motion

Help athletes monitor muscle tone

Strengthen your immune system

Help speed up recovery from injuries

Decrease muscle stiffness after exercise

Improve exercise performance

Reduce inflammation

So make sure to schedule yourself a massage regularly to
help keep your body in tip top shape so you can be as active as you want this
summer. The fewer injuries you get, the more you will be able to enjoy this
long awaited summer!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The weather will someday get warmer here in Chicagoland, and
hopefully we find ourselves becoming more active!All activities bring with some risk of
injury.The most common type of injury
is one we can control, an overuse injury.Sprains, strains and stress fractures are all types of overuse injuries
from working out or playing sports.Most
of these can be avoided!Here are some
tips on how to minimize your risk of injury:

1.Stretch – A proper warm up including some type
of dynamic stretching will increase the blood flow to your joints and muscles
and create a more comfortable workout or practice.Static stretching (a held stretch for 30-60
seconds) after workouts will help elongate muscles and prevent post-workout
soreness.

2.Use proper form – With any activity, whether it
be driving a car or playing basketball, if you do not use correct form,
excessive stress is placed on your joints.Over time this stress can lead to pain, muscle spasm and injury.

3.Listen to Your Body – Stop if you are in
pain!If you continue to exercise
through pain, you may cause more injury and prolong your healing time.

4.RICE – “Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation”.If you do encounter pain during your workout,
or sustain a traumatic injury be sure to follow the principles of RICE
immediately. The longer you wait to care for an injury, the more damage that is
done.

5.Strengthen- Performing strengthening exercises
to areas where you are weak will only help improve your workouts.If you love participating in cardio, try
adding 2 days of strength training to your regimen.You will prevent painful overuse injuries,
and improve your endurance during your cardio workouts!

6.Rest- It is important to rest from exercise one
day per week. Or, take a break from your sport for at least one month per
year.Researchers have found that the
young athletes that are at the highest risk of injury are those that only
participate in one sport.Your body
needs to engage in different movement patterns, this will only make you a stronger
athlete!

One of the reasons Jen Bazan and I started TheraCORE was to
include a concept into our practice that many physical therapists, trainers and
coaches leave out - injury prevention.There are many things that you can do to prevent injuries weather you
are an avid runner, or just trying to sit at your computer without pain.TheraCORE offers injury prevention seminars
to teams looking to prevent ACL injuries or rotator cuff tears, to companies
who want to teach their employees better postural awareness.Please give us a call if you are looking for
more information!

Follow by Email

About TheraCORE

TheraCORE Physical Therapy was established in 2008, by two Doctors of Physical Therapy, with one significant goal in mind: To have experienced therapists deliver personalized care to their patients. This means you will be cared for, at every visit, by a licensed professional who has a working relationship with your physician.